Overview
If you’ve used Piazza for course Q&A, real-time help, or troubleshooting, Harmonize offers a welcoming, LMS-native alternative. While Harmonize doesn’t mirror every Piazza behavior, it supports the same core outcomes: students ask questions, instructors and peers respond quickly, and everyone benefits from a shared knowledge base.
This guide shows how to move familiar Piazza practices into Harmonize using Q&A Boards, Topic Q&A Boards, and Harmonize Discussions.
Why Use Harmonize for Q&A?
Harmonize gives students a clear, intuitive, multimedia-friendly place to ask questions, and it's all right inside your LMS. Instructors love that:
- Everything is inside the LMS.
- The interface is clean and modern.
- Students can upload screenshots and images, record video and audio, screen share, and more.
- Anonymous posting options support student comfort.
- Instructor answers and “best answers” stand out clearly.
- You can create multiple Q&A spaces for different topics.
- Notifications help everyone stay informed.
💡 Insight: Harmonize blends the best of Piazza-style Q&A with the flexibility of Discussions and rich media support.
The Two Harmonize Tools That Replace Piazza
Harmonize features two different kinds of Q&A spaces.
1. Q&A Boards (Course-Wide Q&A)
Use when you want:
- One shared Q&A space for the whole course
- General or homework questions
- A single searchable hub for all clarifications
2. Topic Q&A Boards (Module or Assignment Q&A)
Use when you want:
- Smaller, focused Q&A spaces
- Exam review areas
- Problem-set or lab-specific Q&A
- Less noise in large classes
💡 Insight: Many instructors find multiple Topic Q&A Boards easier to navigate than one massive Piazza feed.
How Students Ask and Answer Questions
As they ask and answer questions, students and instructors can:
- Post text, including links to articles and videos (YouTube videos will display automatically)
- Upload media (images, documents, PDFs, photos of work)
- Record video, record audio, or record screen
- Tag other users
- Endorse questions and answers as "good questions" and "good answers"
- Search existing questions and answers
- Mark “best answer” for their own questions (if instructor has selected this setting)
Additionally, instructors can:
- Endorse questions and answers as "good questions" and "good answers"
- Mark “best answer”
- Delete duplicate or inappropriate questions
- Edit student posts
💡 Insight: Harmonize uses the same editor across all its tools. Once students learn it, they’re comfortable everywhere.
Anonymity Options
Harmonize supports three different anonymity settings for Q&A boards:
- Always show user's identity
- Allow anonymous questions and responses (student chooses)
- All student questions and responses are anonymous
You decide the right level of visibility.
💡 Insight: Anonymity helps students feel safe asking fundamental or high-stakes questions.
Reducing Duplicates and Highlighting Correct Answers
To streamline Q&A:
- Students can search or filter before posting.
- Instructors can delete duplicates.
- Instructors can mark best answers.
These features keep the board efficient and easy to navigate.
Multimedia Makes Q&A More Effective
Harmonize supports:
- Uploading images, including screenshots of errors or photos of handwritten work
- Videos explaining a process
- Screen recordings of software or simulations
- Images with annotations
- Timestamped video feedback
- Math equations (LaTeX)
- Non-executable code
💡 Insight: Harmonize often surpasses Piazza in STEM, design, and clinical courses because rich media clarifies questions and answers quickly.
When to Use Discussions Instead of Q&A Boards
Use Harmonize Discussions when:
- You want full-class dialogue or reflection
- Students are sharing ideas or perspectives
- You want structured prompts or milestones
- The goal is conversation, not a single correct answer
In other words:
- Use Q&A Boards when students need answers.
- Use Discussions when students need each other.
Piazza → Harmonize Quick Mapping
| Piazza Feature | Harmonize Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Course-wide Q&A | Q&A Board |
| Topic folders | Multiple Topic Q&A Boards |
| Anonymous posting | Anonymous posting options |
| Endorsed answer | Endorsed "good answer" and/or marked as best answer |
| Tags/folders | Multiple Topic boards |
| Multimedia support | Full multimedia support |
| Polls | Use polls in discussions or standalone polls |
| Wiki-style answer | Not replicated (threaded format instead) |
💡 Insight: Harmonize’s threaded structure feels more natural in an LMS context and supports richer media.
Tips for a Smooth Transition
- Tell students where the Q&A space lives in your LMS.
- Enable anonymity if students used it before.
- Use Topic Q&A Boards for big units or sets of problems.
- Model how to ask a good question with media.
- Respond quickly early in the term to establish the pattern.
- Highlight correct answers to reinforce peer support.
- Use tags when your course has complex topics.
💡 Insight: Students adapt quickly—many report that Harmonize feels clearer and less cluttered than Piazza.
Conclusion
Harmonize Q&A offers a modern, multimedia-friendly, LMS-native replacement for Piazza. Whether you're running general help forums, homework troubleshooting, exam review, or lab questions, Harmonize provides clarity, flexibility, and an environment where students feel comfortable engaging.
Most instructors find that Q&A Boards + Topic Q&A Boards + Discussions give them everything they need to support questions, build community, and encourage peer learning.
FAQ
Can students collaboratively edit a single shared answer like in Piazza?
No. Harmonize uses threaded replies rather than a wiki-style shared answer. Instructors can edit posts; students add replies.
Does Harmonize have polls?
Not in Q&A Boards. You can post polls in Harmonize Discussions or use our standalone polling tool to replicate Piazza's quick checks.
Can I see instructor response-time metrics?
Harmonize doesn’t track response-time statistics like Piazza. Harmonize does offer Engagement Insights, which allow you to track student engagement in the course.
Does Harmonize support anonymous questions?
Yes. Anonymous posting and anonymous replies are supported.
Can students include screenshots and videos?
Yes. Harmonize supports images, videos, drawings, attachments, screen recordings, and equations.
How do I prevent repeat questions?
Encourage students to search before posting. See Searching and Sorting Posts.
Does Harmonize scale for large courses?
Yes, especially when you organize Q&A by topic rather than in a single long feed.
Should I use Q&A Boards or Discussions?
Use Q&A Boards when students need answers; use Discussions when students need dialogue.